Evian
| File:Evian logo.svg Logo used since 2019 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Bottled water, skincare, hospitality |
| Predecessor | Société anonyme des eaux minérales de Cachat |
| Founded | 1859 |
| Headquarters | Évian-les-Bains , France |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Mineral water, organic skin care, luxury resort |
| Owner | Danone |
| Parent | Danone |
| Website | www |
Evian or Évian (, ; stylized as evian) is a French brand known for bottling mineral water sourced from springs near Évian-les-Bains, located on the southern shore of Lake Geneva.[1]
Evian is a subsidiary of the French multinational corporation Danone and also offers organic skin care lines as well as operates a luxury resort in Évian-les-Bains.
History
Originally founded as "Société anonyme des eaux minérales de Cachat" in 1859, Evian became part of France following Savoy's annexation in 1860. The French Ministry of Health reinstated the authorization for bottling in 1878. In 1908, Evian began distributing water in glass bottles manufactured by Souchon-Neuvesel, now integrated into Owens-Illinois. The brand introduced its first PVC bottle in 1969.
The BSN Group, which later evolved into Danone, secured full ownership of Evian in 1970. Evian entered the American market in 1978 and transitioned to using collapsible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles by 1995.
Production
Located in the French Alps, Evian’s production facility was recognized as the largest carbon-neutral food and beverage manufacturing site in France as of 2015.[2]
Public perception, marketing and advertising
Evian markets itself as a luxury brand popular among Hollywood stars and frequently collaborates with renowned fashion designers for exclusive bottle editions. Notable collaborators include Diane von Fürstenberg (2013), Elie Saab (2014), Kenzo (2015), Alexander Wang (2016), Christian Lacroix (2017), Chiara Ferragni (2018), Virgil Abloh (2019, 2020), Moncler (2021), and Balmain (2022).
In 1998, Evian partnered with Virgin Records and EMI to produce the mix album Club Nation, incorporating extensive branding throughout the album’s packaging.
The "Evian Roller Babies" campaign launched in 2009 won a Gold Award for Best Visual Effects at the London International Awards, significantly boosting brand recognition through creative advertising.
Notable global ambassadors representing Evian include singer Dua Lipa and tennis player Emma Raducanu, highlighting its connection to youth culture and sports.
In 2023, Evian teamed up with Balmain to release the “Balmain X Evian” high-fashion collection, reinforcing its standing within the luxury sector.
Environmentalism
In April 2008, Evian founded the Evian Water Protection Institute to back initiatives focused on water and wetland conservation under the framework of the Ramsar Convention, operating in Thailand’s Bung Khong, Argentina’s La Plata Basin, and Nepal’s Jagdishpur Reservoir. The company has minimized energy and water consumption by integrating post-consumer recycled PET plastic into its most popular bottle sizes and collaborated with Recyclebank to encourage recycling efforts.
By 2018, Evian committed to manufacturing all plastic bottles entirely from recycled plastic by 2025. The brand declared achieving carbon neutrality by April 2020. Nevertheless, a class action lawsuit filed in October 2022 contested this claim as deceptive. In January 2024, US District Judge Nelson S. Román permitted the lawsuit to advance, noting that "carbon neutral" is a vague term that could mislead consumers. Danone, Evian's parent company, argued that it is unrealistic to expect consumers to assume zero carbon emissions during product distribution.